Corpse
by theMagicBehindtheMask
Summary: "It can't be! You-" A shudder ran down his spine, "You're dead."
1. Prologue

I own nothing. I only have this computer because it was a gift.

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**Prologue**

"Batman called."

Robin waited until all of the Titans (they had recently dropped the "Teen") turned to look at him, curious about what else he had to say. All except Raven, that is, who had already known about his phone call with his former mentor, thanks to her (sometimes annoying) habit of invading his thoughts through their bond. He looked at each of their faces, taking careful notes in his head about their expressions.

Cyborg's only eyebrow was cocked slightly, showing his mild surprise at the news. At twenty-three he was the oldest, and Robin had noted that he tended to take big news, like the bomb that Robin was planning on dropping, in stride.

Next to him sat Beastboy who, at the mere mention of Gotham's protector, shot straight up in his seat, with his eyes starry and his fan boy face plastered on. The exact opposite of Cyborg, Beastboy was the youngest at age twenty. The practical jokester was sure to take this news horribly, since change was so hard for him.

Robin tore his masked eyes away from the hopeful face and looked to Starfire, who had just gotten up off the floor. Not surprisingly, the twenty-one-year-old's face was masked in confusion; eyebrows drawn together and lips slightly parted. She had no idea who Batman was, and as a result, didn't know the severity of the situation.

After Starfire settled on the couch, Robin turned his attention to Raven… only to find that she was no longer there. He could only assume that she was angry with him; after all, she had just finished mentally berating him about his decision a few minutes ago. She had probably fled to her room to sulk, or fume, or meditate, or whatever it was she normally did when she was angered by a teammate (except Beastboy; when Beastboy upsets her, it usually ends up with the changeling begging for mercy from the irate sorceress while hanging upside down from the ceiling).

Sensing that he was wasting time and that his teammates were growing anxious, Robin sighed and elaborated, "He needs some help with a long-term case that he's been working on in Gotham." Before he could say anything else, he was assaulted by a barrage of voices.

"Are we going to go help him?"

"DUDE! Do we get to meet him?"

"Please, who is this matured male of the flying mammals?"

Robin sighed and decided to play it safe, answering Starfire's question first. "You mean 'Batman,' Star. He's my old partner from when I lived in Gotham City. " Turning to Beastboy, he smiled ruefully and shook his head, "Sorry Beastboy, but you're not going to meet him now," Beastboy deflated. "Maybe some other time." Seeing the green boy perk up at this, Robin finally looked at Cyborg, dreading the words that would soon leave his lips. "And no Cyborg, _we_'re not going to go help him…

"I am."

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It had been three months.

Three months since Robin had broken off their budding relationship.

Three months since Robin had left to help Batman in Gotham.

Three months since she had last seen or spoken to him.

Three months of pure, unadulterated torture.

She missed him terribly. He had only called back to the tower once or twice, and then he had only ever talked to Cyborg, getting details of their latest escapades, or reminding him to get the correct paperwork done; and even then he only talked for a few minutes at the maximum. Not that she really wanted to _talk_ to him per-se, more like yell at him until he realized that he was being a moron. He really had no cause to break up with her so early in their romantic relationship. Even if he was paranoid about his enemies using her to get to him, she could take care of herself! She was twenty-two years old, for crying out the window! She had gone up against worse things than the Joker and come out of it alive, why hadn't he trusted her with this?

Raven stopped pacing and sighed. She needed a life. She needed to get out of the tower and _do _something instead of pining over Robin like a spurned puppy. Maybe she and Starfire could go clubbing. The alien was old enough now by earth standards, and had been begging Raven to go bar hopping with her. Maybe they could even call Bumblebee and have her join. Raven sighed once more before leaving the darkness of her room, determined to find Starfire and get her mind off of the Boy Blunder once and for all.

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Raven was… uncomfortable… to say the least. Starfire had taken her shopping before Bumblebee arrived, rambling about how "she couldn't possibly meet anyone in her uniform! She simply_ must_ go to the mall of shopping and purchase an outfit more suitable to an evening out with friends." Yeah right. Starfire was only looking for a chance to play dress up with Raven, and by Azar she had dressed Raven up in _everything_ in that store before finally finding an outfit that she liked. The only setback was that the outfit Starfire chose made Raven feel terribly self-conscious, despite Starfire's exuberant praise. She had bought the outfit though, hoping that it would make the Tameranean happy.

She wore it now, appraising the look in the mirror, turning this way and that, trying to see how it looked on all sides. It was an attractive outfit, Raven had to admit, but it still made her slightly nervous. Black thigh- high boots went under a light blue, knee-length dress that covered the first couple of inches of her footwear. Her dress continued up into a black corset that laced over her breasts before ending in flowing long sleeves of the same light blue as the skirt. Her hair had been kept down, but Starfire had insisted on threading little white gems into her violet locks. It wasn't _so_ bad, she finally decided; at least she had convinced Starfire and Bumblebee _not_ to put makeup on her. She shuddered. Nothing could be more horrible than putting fake, oily, gunky, paste on your face. She was brought out of her reverie by a pair of hands pounding on her door.

"Raven! We must make haste! It is almost the hour of departure!"

"Raven you look fine! Stop obsessing! If you don't come out soon I'll be forced to come in after you!"

Raven gave a small chuckle and opened the door, smirking at the excited faces of her friends.

"I'm ready. Are you?"

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Bumblebee wasn't a subtle person at all, something that she wasn't going to _attempt_ to deny, but she thought that she and Starfire had finally pulled it off. They had been planning this night for months, ever since Raven had been able to express emotions without blowing anything up, and especially after she became single again. She had taken Robin's departure pretty badly, even if she knew that there were only a couple more months to go and he would be back. It hadn't been until earlier in the night, when Raven had been in her room, that Starfire had told her about the breakup.

What was Robin thinking, anyways? He and Raven were perfect for each other, she had seen it firsthand. There was no way that his fervor for the dark beauty had lessened in its intensity, and she knew that Raven loved the stupid bird with all her heart, so it didn't make any sense. Starfire had assured Bumblebee that he had done it for her safety, but that didn't make him any less stupid. He could have just told her to keep it on the down low, but breaking up with her? Now that was too far. Raven had been crushed.

Bumblebee was distracted from her musings when a man about her age bumped into her, immediately apologizing profusely as he helped her pick up the food that she had been carrying back to her table. She couldn't help but notice his nice hair and handsome face, not to mention his adorable accent. To her credit, it only took Bee a few moments to realize that she already had a loving husband, then only another few seconds to realize that there was someone with her tonight who currently did _not _have one of these things, and faster than you can say "meddler," Bumblebee concocted a plan.

Still apologizing, the man followed Bee as she tugged him to the side of the crowded room. She surprised him into silence when she turned around, but she quickly began talking so he couldn't start apologizing again.

"Here's the deal. My friend over there," at this point she turned and pointed at Raven, "was just dumped a couple of months ago. She's really depressed and my friend and I are trying to cheer her up. Could you maybe ask her to dance?" At his indecision she added, "As a way of saying sorry for spilling my food." The mystery man sighed and nodded, giving his assent. When he began to walk away, she called after him, "Wait!" He turned expectantly. "I didn't catch your name!" He smiled and yelled back,

"Gregorio!"

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The Joker was really getting on his nerves.

No matter how many times he and Batman interrogated him, the Clown Prince of crime refused to give away the position of his new "apprentice," some freakazoid who called himself the Jester. And though his name was obviously lacking in the uniqueness factor, this kid was a genius at covering his tracks.

And Robin was getting frustrated.

Not only was this case getting more and more out of hand, but he missed his team. He only had a few minutes to catch up with Cyborg _maybe_ once a week before running off to do more work on the case. He missed Starfire's naivety, Cyborg's advice; yes, he even missed Beastboy's horrible jokes. But most of all, he missed his Raven.

He missed her smiles, her laughter, the sound of her voice ( whether she was talking or singing), the way she played the piano when she thought nobody was listening… Hell, he even missed the way she glared at him when she was angry. At least she was with him then, instead of three thousand miles away doing only-God-knows-what. _'With only God knows who.'_ His mind tacked on.

*Sigh,* he'd been really trying to avoid that subject.

He had been the one to break off their relationship for her safety. He knew that she had every right to go out and date other people. This much was acknowledged. What he didn't realize, however, was that she would actually _act _on that right. He knew that she loved him, and he loved her in return, so it baffled him as to why she'd go out with someone else. And from what Cyborg had told him over their last talk, she and 'Gregorio' had been getting pretty cozy.

"You miss her, don't you?"

Robin about flew out of his seat at the sound of his mentor's voice, he had been so caught up in his thoughts. Then he realized what Bruce had said and scoffed, "No, what would make you say that?"

"The fact that you're writing her name all over that piece of paper was a pretty good indicator." At this Robin guiltily snatched the paper off of the table and hid it from Bruce's view before glaring, insulted, at the older man. He finally turned away in a huff, crossing his arms and refusing to look at his father figure.

Bruce just sighed and sat down next to the irritated young man. He put his arm around the kid's shoulders and gave him a one sided hug, "You'll be back to her before you know it, Richard, and then you can quit moping. But for now you need to get that paper deciphered." He heard his adoptive son's groan and couldn't help chuckling as he walked out the door.

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"No."

"Funny, from the way that sounded, you think that you actually have a say in the matter. I'm going to do it."

"No, Raven, you're not. And I do have a say; a very _loud_ say. And I say no."

"Cyborg, you know that you hold a very precious place in my heart and I respect you, but I can't go with your wishes this time. I'm going to do it, and that's final."

"He just met you a month ago! He's moving too fast! There's no way that you two can know-"

"Know what? If we love each other? Here's a news flash Cyborg, I don't love him. The guy that I truly love has already made his decision. Gregorio is a far second, but if I have to settle then it _will_ be with him."

"But _marriage_ Rae? Don't you think that it's a little soon for that? You barely know the guy!"

"I know that he'll be able to support me, and that he doesn't find my background repulsive. He's a nice guy Cyborg!"

"Maybe a little bit too nice, Raven! I don't think that he's all that he's cracked up to be! Please just listen to me and don't go through with this!"

"For both our sakes, I wish I didn't have to."

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It was dark in the graveyard, and the wind made the thick fog swirl through the shadows of the graves. The headstones cast dark shadows that stretched along the ground and gave the entire place an eerie feeling. These places of rest were not what Raven searched for, however, as she floated gently through the cemetery. A few of the beautiful, ornate sculptures caught her eye, but she continued floating until she saw it- the huge, old, oak on the very far edge of the spooky graveyard that Gregorio had described to her as their meeting place. She picked up speed when she saw it, and excitement grew in her breast as she approached the spot where her fiancé waited. When she had told him of Cyborg's reaction to her news, Gregorio had been furious, only calming when she had suggesting that they elope.

He had immediately brightened, and told her of the old oak by the cemetery, telling her to meet him there that night. They would head to Vegas to get married as soon as they had met up. He had only had one other request; that she bring the jeweled bracelet that her mother had given her, and that she also take a delicate gold chain. Gregorio really liked the look of the pieces against her skin, and wanted her to wear them when they got married.

She fingered the necklace, which had been a gift from Robin. It brought a bad feeling to her gut and she almost took it off, but then she remembered that Gregorio wanted it _on_ her, and left it where it sat. Speaking of Gregorio… where was he?

Raven stopped levitating and walked quietly around the tree, trying to see if he was on the other side. When she saw no one she stopped, confused. Determined to wait him out, she resumed levitation, but instead of moving she sat in the lotus position, suspended above the earth. She sat just high enough that her wedding gown grazed the ground. It had been Bumblebee's, for when she married Cyborg. She had asked Bee if she could borrow it, and when Bumblebee had asked why, Raven had told her that she would know in the morning.

She had left them a note. Gregorio had told her not to, but she felt that she owed them at least a little explanation. Just in case she wasn't back by the time the rest of the Titans woke in the morning and couldn't tell them herself, that note would tell them not to worry, and that she was okay.

A crunch resounded through the small graveyard, and Raven snapped to attention, abandoning her lotus position and falling softly to the ground. There was another, and another, and Raven's heartbeat pounded through her temples, making it hard to think past the minor panic that flooded through her. Frowning, she chided herself for such softness, and called on the years of practice to calm her mind. Reaching out with her empathy, she tried to determine who, or what, was out there. To her shock, she felt nothing.

Another crunch sounded.

Raven felt the panic that she fought against flutter through her heart again and backed against the tree. She could normally feel even small animals with her empathy; she was able to identify their need for food or shelter. As it was she felt nothing, not a single feeling or emotion, from the being that stalked her through the brush.

Chills ran down her spine as the footsteps neared, and she found herself sinking into a defensive stance. Without warning the footsteps sounded directly to her right, and she turned quickly only to see the flash of moonlight on a blade that sliced through the fog…

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Robin jolted awake, chills running through his body and sweat covering his brow. Batman kneeled next to him, shaking his shoulders to get him to respond, and Tim stood to the right, tying up the last of the Joker's goons. He tried to look at Batman and answer his menial questions, but he couldn't focus on his mentor's face, so he looked away. _Something's wrong. _

_Something's _very_ wrong. _

His ears rang and his head pounded, but he couldn't put his finger on what was wrong exactly. Then he noticed it, or rather, the _lack_ of it.

Raven's subconscious was gone.

The part of his brain that he automatically labeled 'Raven' was missing. Their bond was no longer there. The more he searched for it, the more frantic he got, until he suddenly realized that Bruce was in front of him, trying to get him to stop hyperventilating. Dread creeping over his entire being, Robin slowly turned to Tim.

"What time is it, Tim?"

Slightly surprised at being addressed by the young man, Tim responded, "2:44. Why?"

He wasn't going to get an answer though, because Robin was fiddling around for something in his utility belt. Finally finding his Titan communicator, Robin frantically called for Cyborg and was rewarded when the cybernetic man's face suddenly appeared on his screen.

"Robin? What's-"

"Cyborg, is Raven in the tower?"

"She should be. Do you want me to check?" Robin emphatically nodded his head. Yawning, Cyborg stood up and went to Raven's room, first knocking on the door. When that got him nowhere, he entered the override code into the door. Directly after the door slid open, Cyborg stepped into the room and stopped cold. Instead of Raven, he found a note on her bed.

The note explained her whereabouts and also told him not to worry, but he did worry; a lot. Apparently this was obvious because his leader's eyes got wide behind the mask and he began making frantic inquiries about her location.

"Is she there? What's that note? Where is she? Cyborg, answer me!"

"Robin! Hang on! Jeez, she's fine, but she won't be." Silence reigned on the other end of the line, so Cyborg decided that he should explain, "After I told her not to, the little twit ran off to Vegas to get married to some guy she _barely_ knows! I'm gonna go get her skinny butt and-"

"Cyborg-"

"bring it right back here and-"

"_Cyborg_, she-"

"let her know _exactly _how much of a say I have in her business-"

"CYBORG!"

"WHAT!"

"Don't bother."

"Now why the hell not?"

"…She's dead, Cyborg."

_She's dead._


	2. The Cemetery

Reviews-1

Yup, still own nothing. Nothing at all. Not even the candy bar I'm imagining right now. Ah, Nuget, how you make me feel light! And Caramel; your creamy deliciousness makes my heart melt… Back to the fic!

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His fingers trembled as he carefully lifted the lid off of the shoe box. He was hidden away in his room, trying to avoid everyone in the tower. Beastboy wanted to play video games, or Starfire wanted to snuggle, or Cyborg wanted to talk.

He always wanted to talk.

Robin refused to listen to anymore talk. He didn't want to let his feelings go, and he didn't want to let anyone else know just how much pain he suffered through every day.

Call him a masochist, but he didn't _want_ to heal.

The worst of them was Starfire. Cyborg and Beastboy wanted him to get over it and get better, but Star wanted him to forget. She was worried that his feelings for his old girlfriend would affect their relatively new relationship. It was something that he found irritating. He doubted that he would ever forget; he didn't want to.

So on this day, the second anniversary of her death, he mourned.

The innocent paper clippings stared up at him from inside the box, and the bold headlines jumped out and grabbed him by the throat.

"Raven Declared Missing!"

"Raven flies away!"

"Quoth the Raven, Nevermore!"

"The Body's Still Undiscovered!"

He gently moved the aging clips aside and reached under the letter she had left, searching for the picture that he knew resided at the bottom of the stack. Finding his quarry, he slowly unfolded the black-and-white photograph. As the face of the woman he lost looked into his soul from the picture, tears welled in his eyes, betraying his stoic expression.

"Boyfriend Robin?"

Robin threw the picture back into the box, slammed the lid down, flung it underneath his bed, and turned to face his girlfriend, smiling a little _too_ cheekily.

"Yeah Star?"

"Are you still in… the mourning?"

His fake smile slid off of his face as he turned away, ashamed for reasons unknown. He could feel her disappointment in him, and it ate at his soul.

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She had never expected him to propose, especially not on this particular day.

Robin had taken her out to her favorite restaurant, ordered her favorite meal (complete with mustard), bent down on one knee, and proposed.

And all on the anniversary of Raven's disappearance.

She had been so excited at first. It was just like the romance movies she loved so much; violins playing in the background, candlelight dinner, and the guy of her dreams asking her to be his bride. There was just one problem-

He still loved Raven.

She knew, and he knew she knew, so, though her heart broke in doing so, she turned him down.

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He didn't know where he was, and quite frankly, he didn't care.

He had to get away.

The intense burn in his heart had been totally unexpected. He had been so sure that she would agree to his proposal that failure had been wiped from his mind.

Ha. Shows how much he knew.

The branches in the thick wood where he ran tore at his suit, pulling it apart at the seams. His once clean shoes were muddy and scuffed, and his hair, which had been slicked back, was in its customary mess.

It wasn't until he almost ran into a tomb stone that he realized where he had run to. The deepest part of the cemetery loomed before him, ominous in the dark night. He slowed his pace to a tentative walk, stopping every once in a while to kick a stone in mild anger.

He had acted like a fool back there.

After Starfire had smiled apologetically at him and told him that she couldn't marry him, his mind had stopped. He had stopped functioning entirely. He remembered making a half-hearted excuse about having to go to the bathroom, and the next thing he knew he was running into a tombstone. Sighing, he continued to walk further into the cemetery, not caring that his team might be wondering about his whereabouts.

It wasn't long before he found himself deeper into the cemetery than he'd ever been, surrounded by old trees. He stared in wonder at the giants, trying to lose himself in their branches, and forget the events of the night. It had been working too, until he turned to find the largest oak tree he had ever seen.

The snow sat on the huge, gnarled branches of the oak, weighing the huge plant down. All of the leaves were gone, giving it a grizzled look. Robin found himself entranced for reasons unknown, and moved to place his hand against the trunk of the old tree.

The handle of a blade is what met him instead.

Startled, Robin fell back into the snow, soaking the seat of his pants. He absentmindedly brushed the snow off of his suit, and proceeded to pull the knife out of the tree. As soon as he touched the handle though, pictures flashed through his mind.

A cold night, much like this one...

The sensation of floating…

The sight of a blade slicing through the fog in a downward arc…

He gasped and pulled back, frightened at the visions forcefully placed in his head. Frightened and a little excited, that is. He was positive that only one person could have given him those visions; the same person who lived them-

Raven.

Despite being scared out of his mind, Robin called out, "Raven?" his voice shook, "Are you there?"

Silence answered him.

Disappointed, he turned to walk away but he tripped over a large root. The light caught the ring that he had planned on giving to Starfire as it flew out of his pocket and landed on the ground. He reached over to pick it up, but soon abandoned the endeavor and backpedaled.

The root had beaten him to it.

It moved of its own accord to pick up the ring and _put it on._

When the ground started shaking Robin pulled himself out of his stupor and scrambled backwards, not finding himself able to pull his body to its feet and run away. This proved to be a problem when his back hit the trunk of a nearby tree. Unable to move, Robin stared as the root (which he had now decided was a hand) was joined by another object of the same shape, and together they pulled a rather large lump out of the ground.

Robin had finally found his feet and had stood on them, but still stayed in one spot, dread filling his chest and twisting his stomach. He was just about to run when the form looked up to him. His blood ran cold.

"It can't be! You-" A shudder ran down his spine, "You're dead."

The creature moved toward him, walking so lightly that it looked like it was floating. A hand extended towards Robin and he ran in the opposite direction, sure that if he could get out of the cemetery he'd survive the night.

After running for what seemed like an eternity, he finally emerged from the trees and found the main road. He turned back towards the trees, trying to see if the corpse (for he was sure now that it was a corpse) had followed him. Seeing nothing, he spun around to go back to Jump City…

And found himself face to face with Raven.

"You rang?" She whispered.

Robin passed out.

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It's a bit short, but I'm thinking that I like it. And I'd just like to say that the Sams had a little bit of a spat over this one. Samuel wanted Raven to come out of the grave and kill Robin with the knife, and Samantha wanted her to come out with a flamethrower and burn him to a crisp. Sadly, this chapter had to follow the plot of the movie, so I made them compromise. Ed was the mediator.

R&R!


	3. Land of the Dead

I don't own any musical compositions, except for one. Or two. And they're not sold comercially. Or at all.

But I'm ecstatic to announce that I DO own The Corpse Bride! Yeah I totally bought it from Tim Burton.

...

...

GOTCHA!

No really. I'm just kidding. I still own nothing. Don't sue me. I'm allergic to lawyers.

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"New arrival! A new arrival!"

"Oh my goodness, he's not dead!"

"Yeah, but he's _cute_!"

"Yeah thanks, Robin, are you okay?"

Various voices flooded Robin's consciousness while his world was still black. They started at a low drone, but quickly grew to a pounding thunder, making him wince. He shook his head back and forth, trying to clear his head enough to open his eyes and see his sorroundings.

A cold hand touched his temple as Robin's world slowly slid into focus, and the first thing he saw was Raven. He jumped to his feet and stepped away from her, crashing into a table covered in drinks and sending them tumbling to the floor. He mumbled an apology and spun around, prepared to run back to the land of the living where he belonged. He found himself facing a skeleton in a fedora and a worn down suit, who immediately proceeded to pat him on the back and congratulate him on his engagement.

The scream that fought its way to the surface was ruthlessly beaten into the back of Robin's throat as he turned away, directly into the mass of dead people that wanted to shake his hand. He was flung from person to person, pushed into the center of the mob of bodies, and suffocated with attention until a familiar monotone voice broke through the pandemonium.

"Enough!"

Immediately the crowd dissipated, each corpse moving to do their own activity and leave the poor man alone. He eventually saw the owner of the painfully familiar voice walking purposefully to his position in the middle of the floor. About five feet away, she appeared to loose her nerve, her strong, determined strides becoming small and hesitant. When she stopped she stood directly in front of him, and for the first time in two years, Robin got a good look at the woman he thought he'd lost.

Her customary blue leotard had been replaced with a gown that looked suspiciously like a dirty, torn version of Bumblebee's wedding dress. The slit from the hip to the floor showed off her delicate leg, which was adorned in a ballet flat that he recognized as a gift from Starfire. His eyes trailed up from her ankle until they hit her waist where the dress hung beautifully, even if the trail was a bit long. He continued to memorize her form until he noticed that her hands look conspicuously naked. Didn't she have a ring that she had always worn? He recalled the look of it; a simple golden band with an inscription in Azarathian and a jewel on the outside. He concluded that she must have taken it off before she died and continued on. Her hair, as violet as ever, was swept into a soft updo, leaving a few strands to frame her face.

It was here that he really scrutinized. Not much had changed in her facial features; her cheeks still looked as soft as they had felt, and her eyes were still lilac and sparkling, but something was off...

It took him a moment before her realized what it was.

Her skin, though it had always been pale, was now tinted blue. In fact, as he looked around, he noted that all of the skin of the corpses was blue. It was something that, though now painfully obvious, he had overlooked. It added an entire new level of creepiness to the whole situation.

There was another minor detail that he hadn't overlooked, however. One that he had been avoiding.

The hole in Raven's chest.

Just between her left breast and her collar bone, her skin was ripped and torn, and a gaping hole revealed a good portion of the bone inside her body. From the way it looked, it appeared to be a stab wound; maybe even multiple stab wounds, from the way the hole arced and changed directions.

_Who_

_did__ this to her?_

She was saying something, but he was too far gone to hear it. He finally pulled himself back down to earth, in order to hear the tail end of his sentence.

"- never see you again." At this point she pulled back from him and frowned, noting his vacant expression. "Robin?" His eyes focused on hers when he heard his name, "Are you okay?"

He frowned. Of _course_ he wasn't okay! He was feakin' out! He had no idea where he was, who he was with, or how he got there! He expressed these thoughts to Raven.

"Well," She looked embarassed, "it's kind of a long story."

"And what a story it is." A tall skeleton drawled as he leaned against the wall. As a spotlight hit him, the bony man continued, "A tragic tale of romance," His hand covered his heart, "passion!" he fell back dramatically and moved his hand to press against his forehead before lowering his voice to a rumble and standing back up, "and murder most foul!"

Robin was bewildered, but Raven just shook her head and sighed, "Here he goes again."

Before Robin could ask what she meant, the skeleton (whose name, he later learned, was Bonejangles) snapped and pointed to his right with a lazy-sounding, "Hit it boys," and music filled the room. The space next to the bowler hat clad skeleton was suddenly flooded with enough light to reveal three other skeletons, all snapping their fingers; as well as the source of the music- a skeleton playing the piano. Robin had no time to dwell on this fact though, because Bonejangles soon began playing the other skeletons' bones as percussion instruments. Robin was mystified before the skeleton began to sing.

"Hey! Give me a listen, you corpses of cheer;

Least those of you that still got an ear!

I'll tell you a story, make a skeleton cry

Of our own jubiliciously lovely Corpse Bride."

To his surprise, Robin heard most of the corpses in the room begin to sing along with the chorus, _including_ Raven.

"Die, die, we all pass away,

But don't wear a frown, 'cause it's really okay.

You might try and hide,

And you might try and pray,

But we all end up the remains of the day!"

Raven's voice next to his ear was beautiful, swirling around the wail of the trumpet, and he found himself wondering why he had never heard it when she was alive. He watched in utter fascination as the singing skeleton pulled Raven up onto the small stage with him and proceeded to swing her around as he sang,

"Well our girl was a beauty, known for miles around,

'Till a mysterious stranger came into town."

At this point, Robin clearly saw the shadows behind the people on stage warp, become fuller, and more humanoid. Raven's shadow looked just like it had in life, and the skeleton's shadow became thick and muscular. The skeleton's shadow extended a hand, which Raven's shadow shyly took.

"He was plenty good looking, but down on his cash,

And our poor little baby, she fell hard and fast"

The shadows changed again. Raven's thining back out to how it currently looked, and the skeleton's shifting and morphing until it looked suspiciously like Cyborg (complete with a robotic eye). The shadow wagged his finger at Raven, who simply clasped her hands in front of her.

"Her big brother said no, she just couldn't cope!

So the lovers came up with a plan to elope."

As the shadows shrank to their original sizes, all of the corpses began to sing the chorus again, and Robin found himself tapping his foot along with the beat.

"Die, die, we all pass away,

But don't wear a frown, 'cause it's really okay.

You might try and hide,

And you might try and pray,

But we all end up the remains of the day!"

Apparently it was time for a musical bridge, because all of a sudden the beat got faster, the lights flashed, the sounds got jazzier, and all of the skeletons pulled out various instruments and began to play. Robin had almost forgotten that he was in a room full of dead people... until one of the skeletons used another's torso as a bass. Just as he came to his senses enough to be scared again, he was sorrounded by the corpses as Bonejangles swung him around, keeping him off balance enough to keep him from pulling away. He was suddenly pulled back by two pairs of cold hands before the beat slowed dramatically and Bonejangles began to sing once more.

"So they conjured up a plan to meet late at night.

They told not a soul, kept the whole thing tight."

The skeleton moved around Raven, quickly pulling the skirt of her dress over his head like a shawl.

"Her old friend's wedding dress fit like a glove,

You don't need much when you're really in love!

Except for a few things (or so I'm told)

Like her old mentor's jewels," Here he waggled his fingers, "And a necklace of gold!"

The shadows started warping again, this time becoming a tree, with a floating silhouette of Raven beneath it. Suddenly, the silhouette of Raven jumped to its feet and began looking around frantically, hand at its chest.

"Then next to the graveyard, by the old oak tree

On a dark, foggy night at a quarter to three

She was ready to go, but where was he?"

Out of nowhere, a corpse dressed as a cook popped up, the question popping out of its mouth.

"And then?"

And Bonejangles answered.

"She waited."

Another corpse, this time a barber, pulled himself next to Robin.

"And then?"

Again the skeleton replied.

"There in the shadows, was it her man?"

A third body showed up, resting its hand on Robin's shoulders. He looked like he belonged on a battlefield.

"And then?"

"Her little heart beat _so _loud!

And then baby, everything went...

**black.**

A second form joined Raven's shadow on the wall. Raven's silhouette screamed before the second shadow grew to a size so monstrous that it blocked out any light in the large room.

When Robin could see again, Bonejangles was lounging on the piano, his legs long enough that they folded over the sides. The pianist, who had been visibly shocked by the sudden blackout, had resumed playing as soon as he could see, and with the music came the low voice of the skeleton.

"When she opened her eyes, she was as dead as dust.

Her jewels were missing and her heart was bust."

Now he stalked toward Robin, moving his hands from side to side, in a motion that was halfway between snapping and clapping. He continued his song as he walked, oblivious to the young man's growing trepidation.

"But she made a vow, lying under that tree,

That she'd wait for her true love to come set her free."

Bonejangles had rallied the corpses in the room to make a large circle, and Robin was now thrust into it. He was shocked to find Raven waiting for him with her hand outstretched.

_His ring was on her finger!_

"Always waitin' for someone to ask for her hand,

When out of the blue comes this groovy young man,"

Raven neatly caught Robin in a spin when Bonejangles pushed him in her direction.

"Who vowed forever to stay by her side,"

They continued to twirl until, to Robin's great horror, Raven's arm snapped off at the elbow.

"And that's the story of our Corpse Bride!"

Robin was flung into the ring of dead people, all singing the chorus.

"Die, die, we all pass away,"

He almost hit Bonejangles with the disembodied arm (that was still moving, by the way), who had jumped off of the stage to surf the crowd after his big finale.

"But don't wear a frown, 'cause it's really okay."

He nervously snapped his fingers with the music, attempting to at least _look_ like he wasn't freaking out.

"You might try and hide,

And you might try and pray,"

Robin turned and ran up the stairs, trying to find the fastest way out of his nightmare. He was oblivious to the pair of violet eyes that watched however, nor was he aware that the owner of those expressive irises was following him.

"But we all end up the remains of the day!"

Bonejangles surfed from the crowd to the bar, stealing a drink as he slid past.

"Yeah."

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Um... 2 things.

A- thanks for being so incredibly patient. I'm swamped with calculus and anthology and chemistry and the like, so life pretty much sucks for my muses who have been locked in a dark room for a while. Sneakers actually went through the stages of withdrawal. From what I don't know. We're still running tests. Of both the lie detector and blood variety.

B- I don't know what's up, but if you're reading this and you go "Oh look, she's such a moron that she pressed [enter] right in the middle of a sentence" well no, that's not what happened. I went back 4 times and tried to fix it. If it doesn't work now it is up to YOU, dear reader, to overlook it. Sorry for the inconvenience.


	4. Back At Home

I would just like to thank all of the fantastic people who reviewed [you know who you are!]. You guys have been so patient with me, and I think that you should all get a prize. Sams?

*The Sams enter*

The Sams would like to give you all a treat... MUTANT ZOMBIE CHRISTMAS-THEMED CUPCAKES FOR EVERYONE!

*The Sams laugh maniacally as Ed runs away screaming and Sneakers hides in the corner*

Thank you all, and now for your real prize; the story (which contains characters and a plotline that I do not own)!

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"You WHAT?"

"My apologies! How was I supposed to know that boyf- _friend_- Robin was going to levitate the henhouse?"

"That's 'fly the coop,' Star." Cyborg sighed. According to what Starfire was telling him, the walking traffic light that Cyborg called a leader had run out after Starfire denied his proposal, under the ruse that he would be going to the bathroom. Starfire hadn't seen him in two hours.

Honestly, who really fell for the bathroom thing?

Obviously Starfire did.

"Star, why don't you and Beastboy go back to the restaurant and sniff him out? He couldn't have gone far." Cyborg rubbed the bridge of his nose as Starfire picked up the protesting shape-shifter and carried him off, determined to find their leader.

It took him a few minutes of frantic pacing to remember that, after Raven's disappearance, he had placed tracking devices on all of the Titan's communicators.

_I am such an idiot._

Cursing his stupidity, he ran to the computer and rapidly typed, quickly finding Robin's location. Before he celebrated (though he did cabbage patch a few times), he had to call the team. He punched a few numbers on his communicator, and spoke into the microphone.

"Calling Starfire and Beastboy."

Soon he saw Starfire's face... and the side of Beastboy's arm. In the background he could hear him flirting with someone; he could only assume that they were female. Suddenly the view shifted sideways, showing Starfire standing behind Beastboy with her communicator, trying to attain his attention. He waited until Beastboy uttered an irritated "What?" before announcing his presence.

"BEASTBOY! Pay attention!"

The flustered green shifter started, and he heard a muffled giggle, presumably from the girl Beastboy had been flirting with.

"Cyborg! I was just looki-"

"There's no time for games, Grass stain. I know where Robin's communicator is."

Starfire squealed and soon her face filled the entirety of the screen, blocking out Beastboy's excited visage. Floating happily, she replied for the green teenager, "Then it is my suggestion that you make haste in telling us the location, friend Cyborg."

Cyborg sighed tiredly and smiled, glad that his friend was glad, "It's in the back of the Jump City Cemetery, a couple hundred feet into the woods."

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It was far too cold for her liking, Starfire decided.

Beside her Beastboy panted as a Saint Bernard, warm from the fur that covered his now four-legged body. He sniffed delicately along the ground, lifting his head every so often to scent the air. She did her part by lighting a starbolt in her hand and using it as a lantern, shining the familiar green light into the trees. Suddenly Beastboy let out a howl and ran in the direction of the thick foliage. Now a bloodhound, his nose was stuck to the ground, and he bayed as he ran after Robin's scent.

Starfire soon found herself deep in the woods next to an ancient oak with gnarled branches. Signs of a struggle jumped out at her from the snow underfoot, and she felt a trill of fear run through her heart. She followed Beastboy as he uncharacteristically took the lead, grateful for his sudden confidence. She didn't like this place. It was too dark and frightening for her tastes. It was a place better suited for Ra-

She refused to let her mind wander to that topic. That part of her mind had been declared off limits for years now, and she didn't want to open it back up again any time soon.

Brushing imaginary dust off of her uniform, Starfire slowly circled around the tree, her careful eyes searching the scene for anything out of the ordinary. It wasn't long before something caught her eye. A large dagger was shoved into the trunk of the tree, so far that only the handle stuck out. Waving Beastboy over with one hand, she carefully pulled a rubber glove on with her teeth before tenderly pulling the dagger out of the tree, careful not to smudge any fingerprints. Looking closer at the blade, she noticed a red, powdery substance was caked at its base, and her heart lept into her throat when the implications of that powder hit her full force.

It was probably blood.

Someone had died here.

And from the way Beastboy whined, she had a very good idea as to just who that was.

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Beastboy hesitated, his hand raised to knock on Cyborg's door. They had found no trace of Robin at the scene. _Nothing except his communicator, that is._ Beastboy took the small piece of slightly-dented plastic and turned it in his hands. This was their only hope at finding their leader. He thought about turning back and getting Starfire to tell Cyborg the results of their mission, but since she already knew how to play rock paper scissors (which was what got him in this position in the first place), he couldn't convince her that he had, in fact, won. Prepared for anything, Beastboy bit his lip and knocked softly on his best friend's door.

"Come on in."

His shoulders slumped and his eyes downcast, Beastboy slowly walked into Cyborg's room, shutting the door gently behind him. The cybernetic teen was currently at his computer, typing away at a file. He clicked a few more buttons before turning to see Beastboy, smiling hopefully. Upon seeing Beastboy's depressed visage however, his small smile turned into a disappointed frown. Beastboy, sensing his friend's despair, tentatively walked forward and pressed the communicator into Cyborg's hand, turning away when the metal hand suddenly contracted, almost crushing the small plastic disk. It seemed like an eternity before either boy talked, but when Cyborg did his voice wavered and shook.

It broke Beastboy's heart.

"Is this all you guys found?"

"Well, not exactly..."

Cyborg quirked an eye at him and he suddenly felt guilty, though he couldn't quite say why. "What else did you find then BB? Any leads as to where he's gone?"

Beastboy shifted uncomfortably, not quite sure how to phrase his findings. He finally settled for blunt honesty and hoped for the best. "His scent leads to an old oak tree in the back of the graveyard. There, it looks like some sort of fight took place, and then his scent doubles back to the main road before-" He swallowed and cleared his throat before he looked his best friend straight in the eye, trying to convey that he was being honest. "Before vanishing."

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Well _that_ certainly hadn't been what Cyborg had expected. He pulled back a little bit before looking incredulously at the green shapeshifter before him.

"Are you sure he wasn't picked up by a car or something? You said that he went back to the road. Is it possible that he-"

"No Cy." Beastboy cut him off, shaking his head. "The snow on the ground wasn't disturbed by anything except Robin's feet. We looked."

"Well then what the hell happened!" Cyborg yelled, burying his face in his hands.

"I have no clue, dude."

"So you're saying that this whole thing is pointless? There was no merit in looking for Robin?" Cyborg asked Beastboy, grasping desperately at the straws that were falling quickly out of his grasp.

"Not necessarily. We found something... else."

And just like that, he caught one.

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Starfire wasn't surprised when Cyborg suddenly burst into the room, practically flying over to the piece of evidence on the table. After he slapped on a pair of gloves, she let him gingerly pick up the dagger and examine it closely. His brows furrowed when he saw the dried blood, but when he opened his mouth to speak she beat him to it.

"I have already started tests on the dried blood you are currently looking at," she informed him. "They should be done in a peanut butter-y."

Cyborg looked confused for a moment, but suddenly his face smoothed out and he corrected her, "You mean 'in a jiffy,' Star."

She nodded absentmindedly and scanned the fingerprints that she'd lifted from the dagger. She immensly enjoyed this part of investigations, and was sincerely glad that Robin had decided that they needed a processing room.

Soon she could pull up the image of the prints on the computer screen, and she ran them through the database that Robin had compiled. It consisted of every villain they had ever fought, as well as every Titan in existence.

Sometimes Starfire wondered if there was any sort of containment on Robin's incessant paranoia.

She left the database to run the fingerprints through the files and turned back to the dried blood. She had reconstituted it and had sucked it into pipettes, before shooting it into a set of gels with another, known, DNA. Every time Starfire "ran the gells," as the forensic scientist that taught her called it, she marvelled at the way it worked. The thing about Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid is that, when mixed with a certain enzyme, it falls apart, leaving different lengths of DNA left. Since everyone's DNA is different, it is cut up into different lengths for every person. So if you had the DNA of a known origin, and you run it with an unknown DNA and if the DNA fragments are in the same spot in the gel, then the DNA is the same, meaning that the unknown DNA came from the same donor that the known DNA came from.

She ran this dried blood with Raven's DNA.

Without letting anyone know, she had snuck into Raven's room, which had remained untouched since her disappearance. She then searched Raven's hairbrush until she found a hair that still had a follicle attached. She used the DNA in the follicle to compare the DNA they had found on the knife.

Call it woman's intuition, but Starfire was almost positive that the dried blood on the dagger belonged to Raven.

It wasn't long before she was proven correct.

When she pulled the gel out of the electrical current, she measured the DNA fragments and winced.

They were exactly the same.

This was Raven's murder weapon.

She didn't have time to mull on that fact, because the database finally found a match for the prints, and let her know with an impatient-sounding 'beep.' She turned back to the neglected computer to find the shock of her life.

"Holy klipshnerg."

Thank _God_ for Robin's incessant paranoia.

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"Holy klipshnerg."

Beastboy did a double-take. Did Starfire just _curse_ in Tameranean? Or did his ears decieve him?

Judging by the look on her face, he wasn't imagining _anything_.

He and Cyborg rushed around to the computer screen, cramming themselves in so they could see.

The face that popped up made Beastboy's blood run cold.

_Gregorio Vasquez._

Aw hell.

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For anyone familiar with DNA Gel electrophoresis, you'd know that running the gels takes more time that it did in this story. I simply shortened the time to fit my needs. Sorry, general public.


	5. Getting There

So first off, I'm just going to say that I think that the Robin in Teen Titans is Richard Grayson. This is not up for debate or discussion, and I will certainly not change my mind. There are too many coincidences for it to be Tim or Jason, such as the fact that Larry's real name is 'Nosyarg Darhcir (for anyone wanting to be dense, that's Richard Grayson backwards),' and that Robin grows up to be Nightwing. End of story. Thanks for asking.

This is also where my twists come into the story. I'm going to tweak the plot a little to suit my needs here, so I'm sorry to any die-hard fans of The Corpse Bride [which I don't own], but this is a Teen Titans [which I also do not own] fanfiction. Sorry.

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Where was he going?

Raven floated after him quietly, trying to keep him out of trouble as best as she could. She didn't need to be an empath to know that he was uncomfortable here, but the least he could have done was stay and express his feelings like a _normal_ person.

Then again, Robin had never been very normal.

She was keeping a fair pace behind him, but he soon turned down a stony alley way, and she lost sight of his sprinting form.

"Robin?" She called, "Robin, come back! I need to talk to you." Her monotone voice bounced back to her from the walls of the buildings, and she knew that there was no way he couldn't have heard her.

There was no answer.

She sighed, exasperated, as she used her empathy to seek him out. He was easy enough to find, they had a connection after all, and as soon as she did, she opened up her side of the link. She felt his mind calm down considerably, and with it his body. She felt his shock at first, but it melted away to a familiar calm. She was surprised by how quickly she fell back into their link, and how familiar it was. She finally felt like herself again. After so many years of being on different planes of existence, she finally felt _whole._

She let herself to the ground, and quickly stepped to his position in the shadows of an alley. Wordlessly, she reached out a hand for him to grasp as she poured comforting feelings into his mind through their bond. He warily reached for her hand and grasped it, his masked eyes reaching hers in the dark.

She smiled at his cautious gaze. He wouldn't be Robin without it.

Not for the first time, she was glad that she could express emotions without making everything in a five mile radius to explode. She felt euphoric at their reunion, and she wanted him to feel her happiness with her.

"Robin, there's someone I need you to meet."

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He could not believe his eyes. There, only a few feet away, was his family.

They were dead, but they were standing there nonetheless.

Raven had teleported them to the Gotham Cemetery, the apparent residence of his parents and brother, and they were currently a few feet away from them.

They were _so close._

Hesitantly, he called out to them, "Mom? Dad? Cole? Is that you?"

His mother was the first to react, whirling around and putting a hand to her chest, recognizing his voice immediately.

She answered him, tentatively at first, but growing in exuberance and volume as she ran to hug him. "Dick? Dick! Oh sweetheart! I've missed you so _much!_" She accented the word 'much' with an especially strong squeeze, which he returned in full. His father and older brother soon saw him, and they joined in on the hug, caught up in the joy of seeing the youngest Grayson. Without warning, his mother began to frantically search his body for injuries. She looked at Robin, and in the depths of her emerald eyes he could see her frantic fear.

She grabbed his shoulders and asked, entirely serious, "Dick honey, are you dead?"

He blinked, and everything suddenly made sense. He chuckled a little bit and shook his head. It only made sense that he would be dead, since he wasn't exactly in the land of the living.

"No mom," he began, and the relief was palpable, "Raven brought me down here."

His mom shot Raven a warm look and smiled, "Thank you Raven dear. It's been a while since you've come to see us."

Robin was surprised. Raven had been keeping relations with his parents?

"It has, hasn't it? I suppose I haven't had the time to visit." She looked apologetic, "I've been waiting for _this _one to stumble upon me." She gestured to Robin.

Suddenly Cole grabbed Raven's left hand, peering at the third finger. He barked out a laugh, as he had been prone to do in life, and clapped his younger brother on the back as he exclaimed,

"Good job, Dick! She's quite the catch! I asked her myself, but she turned me down."

Her laugh sounded like bells to Robin, and he relished in the sound, having not heard it in so long.

"Only about thirty thousand times, Cole."

"And even though you're engaged to my little brother I _still_ won't stop asking."

Robin kept an arm wrapped around his mother's shoulders as he watched the two banter, content to feel the soft texture of his mom's sweater and bask in the happiness that Raven had given him. He felt a hand grasp his shoulder and looked over it to see his dad's smiling face. He couldn't help compare that face to another's though, and his heart ached for home. He was happy at seeing his parents and brother, giddy even, but he needed to be among other living people. People whose skin didn't give him the creeps, and didn't have gaping holes in their backs, or legs, or arms... or _anywhere_, really.

His mom seemed to know that something was bothering him, and she squeezed him around the middle in response.

"Tell me about your life upstairs, Dick."

He hesitated, but he looked around to the watching faces and began to speak.

"After your deaths, I was taken in by Bruce Wayne."

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He was homesick.

She could feel it.

He knew she could feel it.

She _knew_ he knew she could feel it.

And it made her feel nauseous.

She had dragged him down here with the best of intentions, but he wasn't happy here.

Besides, you know what they say about roads paved with good intentions; they lead straight to Hell. _Which, _Raven noted, _is here, for Robin. _She felt his thoughts brush against their link, and images of their friends were dragged into her mind's eye. Cyborg and Beastboy playing video games, Starfire making a "pudding," even Batman and the other Robin made a cameo in his thoughts, both in and out of their masks. Guilt started wailing when she saw all that she'd pulled him from and Raven sighed.

She really should regain the art of suppressing her emotions.

She started when he turned to her, finished with his story. She smiled apologetically at his parents and brother, and lamented, "Mr. and Mrs. Grayson, Cole, we'd really like to stay, but we need to be heading home. I'm sorry."

Mrs. Grayson stopped them from leaving with a hand on her arm, her eyes hopeful, "Will we be seeing you two again?"

Raven didn't really know, but she wasn't going to let Mrs. Grayson know that. She smiled and nodded, and Mrs. Grayson stepped back, waving them off as Raven teleported back to the Jump City Cemetery, Robin in tow.

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They reached their destination, and Raven pulled her hand out of his, turning around to look him in the eye.

"You want to go home."

It wasn't a question and luckily, Robin didn't treat it as one. He looked at the ground, the walls, anywhere but her eyes. She put her hand on his shoulder and let him feel her sincerity through the link.

"I didn't mean to make you unhappy, and there is a way for you to go back but-" At the hope on his face she lost a little of her resolve, and she steeled herself for his disappointment. "I don't want you to leave me."

He looked crestfallen, and she had to look away. He put his hand on her chin and turned her face back to look him in the eye and he whispered, "I don't want to leave you either Raven, especially after so long of being apart, but I belong on the surface, with-" He stopped himself, unwilling to finish his sentence. She looked at him peculiarly and he quickly changed the subject, "I need to go home Raven, you know that. This," he gestured to Raven and himself, "couldn't last forever."

She looked how she felt; indignant, "Why not? You could stay here. And just who do you need to be with? You're engaged to me!" She gasped in realization, pulling her hand to cover her lips. "It's Starfire, isn't it?" She delved into his mind and found the memory of his last few hours upstairs, her anger growing with every remembered word. "It is! You _do_ think that you need to be with Starfire!"

He looked both mortified and slightly afraid, "Raven! She's not-"

"Not anymore, you mean. Not after she dumped you. That's the reason you were in the forest. You weren't looking for me, you were running from her!" her rage grew just a little bit more.

"No! That's not- I mean, it is, but it's complica-"

"Shut up!" She yelled, the skirt of her dress billowing in the vortex of power spinning around her. "It's not as 'complicated' as you'd like to make me think."

Anger finally registered on his face, and he quickly retaliated, "I never asked for any of this, Raven! I never asked to be dragged down here and taken from my life!"

She stopped short at that, and Rage was quickly beaten down by Guilt and Sorrow, the latter of the two causing her eyes to fill with tears. She turned and ran, heedless of his desperate apologies, disappearing in the maze of stony pathways.

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Oh he was in trouble now.

He hadn't meant to be mean, and he had felt her guilt through their link earlier. He hadn't meant to exploit that, it just kind of... happened.

Yeah that was a great excuse.

He started down the alley she had run to, determined to apologize. He would make things right.

He hoped.

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Som uchf ort hisc hapter.F ellf reet or eview!I dos ol over iviews!I alsoe njoyt ypingi nt hism anner,t houghi ti sv ery...t rippy.

Adios!


	6. Tears

Yay! More music! I know its been a while, but I've been so swamped. But now I'm sick, so I'll have time to update! Yay! I still own nothing though, which is sad.

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Robin's footsteps sounded behind her and she picked up the pace, too angry to listen to his shouted apologies. The irony of their current situation was not lost on her; it had only been a few hours ago that she was chasing him as he fled, only while her retreat was in anger, his had been in pure, unadulterated fear.

No matter how quickly she ran, she could hear his steps getting louder. As she sprinted down a pathway her arcane powers engulfed her in the form of an ethereal raven and she left the scene, teleporting herself to a place that she felt safe- Anton's house.

Anton was Raven's best friend down here, and the first person she'd talked to when she died. He and his "death" partner, though a little on the flaming side, were extremely kind to her, and were always there when she needed them. She appeared at the bottom of their steps and ran up them two at a time, ringing the doorbell with her powers. Kyle was the one who answered the door and, seeing her disheveled state, ushered her inside the small house. He called into the kitchen for Anton and sat down with Raven on the couch. When Anton appeared, he sat on her other side and they both put their arms around her shaking shoulders.

"What's wrong, Raven?"

She found herself unable to hold back and told them the entire story. She told them about bringing Robin to the land of the dead, and about his apparent affections for Starfire, and how insecure she felt. When she finished Kyle stood up with his bony fists clenched, enraged at the thought of Robin's cold-heartedness.

"When I get my hands on that kid, I am going to show him just how amazing you are, Rae, with a good sock in the face!"

This brought a watery laugh out of Raven and she pulled Kyle back down. "I think I've punished him enough, Kyle. He's still running around trying to find me."

Anton frowned, "But he's punished you more. Anything he gets after this will be even."

Raven shook her head, "But what if he does belong with her?"

"Who?" Anton asked, "Little miss living? Newsflash sweetheart, those girls are ten a penny. You've got so much more."

"That's right," Kyle agreed, now perched on the arm of the couch, "You've got a wonderful personality."

Anton pulled her hands into his and drew her eyes to his.

"What does that whispy little brat have that you don't have?"

Kyle nodded and cut Raven off as she started to argue, "She can't hold a candle to the beauty of your smile."

Raven felt indignant at the insults toward her best friend, but she humored the boys, "How about a pulse?"

Anton shook his head, "Overrated by a mile."

Kyle jumped in, "Overvalued!"

Anton shot a small glare at his partner, "Overblown."

Kyle resumed his place next to Raven and threw his arm over her shoulders, hugging her body to his, "If he only knew the you that we know."

Raven sighed and pulled her hands back to her lap, putting her left hand in Kyle's reach. He grabbed it and inspected the ring on her finger, "And that silly little creature isn't wearing his ring."

She tried to tell him that she had put it on herself but was cut off by Anton.

"And she doesn't play piano!"

"Or dance," Kyle added.

"Or sing!" Anton finished.

"No she doesn't compare." Kyle assured her, squeezing her hand before letting it drop.

Raven protested, "But she still breathes air!"

Anton threw his hands in the air, "Who cares?"

Kyle nodded, "Unimportant."

Anton was now waving his arms about, making Raven smirk, "Overrated!"

"Overblown." Kyle smiled, "If only he could see how special you can be,"

They both finished, "If he only knew the you that we know."

Raven frowned and stood up, leaving the young men on the couch. She wrapped her arms around her midriff and paced to the far side of the room.

"If I touch a burning candle I can feel no pain; if you cut me with a knife it's still the same." She turned back to face her concerned friends, "And I know her heart is beating, and I know that I am dead..." She backed up against the wall, unable to support herself, "Yet the pain here that I feel..." She shook her head and dared, "Try and tell me it's not real! For it seems that I still have a tear to shed." She inclined her head and slid down the wall as her legs gave out and Sorrow overpowered her.

Anton was the first to react, lurching off of the sofa and kneeling by her side, a frown on his face. As Kyle followed suit, he pulled Raven's chin up and forced her to look at him, "The sole redeeming feature from that little creature is that she's alive!"

"Overrated!" Kyle yelled to the ceiling.

"Overblown." Anton concurred, turning to Kyle, who continued.

"Everybody knows that's just a temporary state which is cured very quickly when we meet our fate."

"Who cares?" Anton questioned as he pulled Raven to her feet.

Kyle, who had gone to the kitchen to make Raven some tea, yelled back over his shoulder, "Unimportant!"

"Overrated." Anton intoned quietly.

"Overblown." Kyle set the hot tea in her hands and smiled at her thanks. He dropped into a chair and watched as Raven sipped at her drink. "If only he could see how special you can be,"

Anton joined him, "If he only knew the you that we know."

Raven felt herself growing angry, a cold kind of anger that wasn't directed at Kyle and Anton, but at herself. She set down her tea and snatched one of their lit candles, running her hand through the flame.

"If I touch a burning candle I can feel no pain! In the ice or in the sun it's still the same." Her voice took on a sad tone and put her hand to her chest, "Yet I feel my heart is aching, though it doesn't beat it's_breaking-"_ Her voice broke and she turned to face Anton and Kyle, her voice growing stronger.

"And the pain here that I feel, try and tell me it's not real." She shook her head and sat delicately on an armchair, "And I know that I am dead..."

She stopped as a tear raced down her cheek.

"But it seems that I still have some tears to shed."

Anton and Kyle raced to comfort the girl, saddened by her misery.

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Music had been a luxury that Raven hadn't indulged in when she was alive.

Sure, one of the monks at Azarath had taught her to play the piano, another to dance, and yet another to sing, but she'd never let her team know that.

There were times when she regretted it.

She would never know what their reactions would have been, and she would never know if one of her friends had shared her passion. It was something that she had to deal with.

Music was a safe outlet for her powers, which is why the monks of Azarath had been so keen on her learning how to utilize it. Upon dying, meditation had been lost to her, since all that she was able to focus on was her death. So, since she still needed an outlet, she had turned back to music and sharpened her skills. She had learned to play an incredible variety of instruments, but the piano still remained her favorite, which was what she was playing right now.

She had left Anton and Kyle's house in a bad mood, and had immediately gone to her own home in the hopes of sorting through her emotions. Without meaning to she had turned to her piano and started playing, the melodies reflecting her dark mood.

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It wasn't long until Robin found her there, having followed their bond to her. He knew that she knew that he was there, but she hadn't acknowledged him yet. He rubbed the back of his head and started to apologize.

"Look, Raven-"

His only response was the raised volume of the piano. She seemed determined to ignore him, no matter what he was trying to say.

"Raven, I'm really sorry." He tried to get in her line of sight, but she harshly turned from him and the song she played got even louder.

Giving up he sat next to her, earning him a sharp glare. He flinched under her gaze and cast his eyes toward her small hands. They had busied themselves with a simple tune, which was both haunting and sad in its timbre. He watched her hands plunk on the keys, deceptively inept. After seeing the repeated pattern, he tried for himself, his practiced fingers running over the melody in a higher register.

He didn't look at her fully, just in his peripheral vision, but it was enough to make him look away entirely. The raw indignation on her face made him feel sheepish, but he did not remove his hand from the keys. She looked away in a huff and closed her eyes, even as a harmony was introduced, giving the song new depth. Something sparked in Robin's brain even as he memorized the placement of her fingers; there was no way that she was new at this. She played with no doubt though her eyes were closed, and her fingers played all of the correct keys. When she held her fingers on the last note he sprang into action, copying her song with a few embellishments of his own.

She glared at him and removed her hand from the piano, looking for all the world like she was taking her ball and going home. Trying to get her to stay, he teased her competitive streak by stringing out a complicated phrase of syncopated harmonies that ended with due fanfare.

She just stared.

He had almost given up when her glare turned into something else, something a little more competitive and lively, and she ran her fingers across the keys. He quickly fell into an easy duet with her, knowing through their bond what notes she wanted to play and shifting accordingly.

The result was beautiful.

Together their music wafted through the room and just like that, Robin knew that Raven had forgiven him. A small smile was painted on her face and he delighted in it, a grin of his own appearing on his lips.

All too soon they stopped playing, but Raven's hand had other ideas. The bony appendage made its way up the keyboard, finishing its solo by running up Robin's arm to rest on his shoulder. Robin's grin widened as she looked shyly away.

"Sorry about that."

He placed her hand back on her arm and his smile grew soft, "I don't mind."

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Sorry about the apparent slight shortness of it, but I needed to cut this one to go on to the next step in the story. Thank you to all of my amazing readers! I have no idea how you've managed to stay with me this far, but let's just chalk it up to my apparent awesomeness! (Gee, I'm humble.)

By the way, nobody had better give me crap about having homosexuality as a facet in my story. Homosexuality is not a choice, homophobia is, and I don't care what anyone else says, you CANNOT convince me of anything different!

On a lighter not, I'll try to update as fast as I can!

-Magic


	7. An Ultimatum

So remember how I said I'd update ASAP? Heh, well, I apologize for my inherent tardiness. I'm just having problems finding inspiration for this fic. I mean, it's a great thought and all, but I'll be happy when it's done. I just have so much going on right now that this has kind of taken a back seat. I will finish, for those of us who haven't read the manifesto on my profile, but it could take a while. I'm sorry in advance for any short hiatuses that this story takes.

I own nothing, but that will change as soon as I take over the world :D

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Raven's dress trailed behind her as she floated up the staircase, the train whispering against the steps behind her. It was early, but Elder Gutknecht, she knew, would be awake, as the dead never slept.

That was not necessarily the case with Robin.

The poor guy had relaxed in her chair shortly after apologizing, and had been unable to keep his tired eyes open once he was comfortable. He rested now, and Raven had taken this opportunity to ask her wizened old friend for some advice.

She pushed open the door with her powers before announcing her presence.

"Elder Gutknecht? It's Raven. Are you here?"

His answer came from a massive stack of books.

"Raven, child! Come over here and give an old skeleton some help."

She stepped quickly to his side and lifted the books that he specified, smiling gently as he pulled one out of the very bottom of the stack. With a shaky breath, he blew the dust off of the cover, making Raven cough delicately into her hand. Chuckling, he placed the book on his desk before turning to face her.

"Now Raven. Something tells me that there's a reason behind this visit."

Raven put on her best emotionless mask, "Can't I just stop in to see an old friend?"

His loud guffaws made her nearly nonexistent smile grow, and his belly-laughs finally calmed to a kind chortle.

"Raven, you never come to just 'see an old friend.' Even if it's just to help around the library, there's always something that you want when you come up here."

His statement brought her thoughts back to the sleeping man in her living room and she immediately sobered. Elder Gutknecht noticed this and placed a brittle hand upon her shoulder.

"What is it that you need, child?"

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Robin was warm and... decidedly comfortable. He tried to tell himself to fall back into the soft darkness of sleep, but a small part of him decided to feel logical, and forced his heavy eyelids open. The first thing he noticed through his sleepy haze was that he was completely and utterly alone. Raven was nowhere to be seen. He sat up slowly and, pushing off the blankets he didn't remember getting, and stepped away from the comfortable chair, stretching his lithe body as he did.

The cool air in the room chilled him, and he briefly considered crawling back under the blankets and going back to sleep, but he soon squashed the thought. His first priority was finding Raven. Concentrating, he tapped into their bond, trying to determine her location. Her lavender aura pulled him out into the streets, weaving him around the undead vendors and pedestrians, before tugging him up a winding staircase.

Hearing a familiar voice, Robin made sure that his steps were as silent as possible. Quietly, so as not to draw attention to himself, he slid behind the open door, peering into the room.

A bent skeleton was searching through a huge tome, pausing occasionally to blow dust off of the pages. Behind him stood Raven, who peered over the short skeleton's shoulder at the pages. Her pale face was pinched in confusion, and her lips were pushed into an adorable pout. Robin had no idea how long he stood there watching, but it couldn't have taken very long for the pair to find what they had been looking for.

"Ah ha!" crowed the grizzled corpse, pointing at the book with a bony finger, "There's the spell."

Raven's eyes lit up, and she ran her finger down the page, a smile gracing her delicate lips. "Are you sure this will work, Elder Gutknecht?"

The skeleton, whose name was apparently Elder Gutknecht, nodded emphatically, turning to smile warmly at the empath behind him. "With this spell, your life will be returned to you."

Robin's heart pounded in excitement and giddiness ran through his veins. Raven would be alive again? Then they could go back to the surface!

They could be together again.

Robin had just pulled himself together and prepared to announce his presence when Raven's eyes grew wide.

"Elder Gutknecht?" She asked slowly, "I don't remember hearing about this... _particular_ ingredient."

The old skeleton grimaced and Robin flung himself back behind the door, fervently hoping that he hadn't been discovered. From his spot behind the wooden obstacle, he could hear Elder Gutknecht sigh.

"Raven, if you want to live again, sacrifices must be made."

Through their bond, Robin could feel her outrage. He cringed against the door and listened, as curious as he was cautious.

"But a _human_ sacrifice? Elder Gutknecht, I don't think I could do that."

Robin's eyes widened beneath his mask. A human sacrifice? What was that crazy old geezer _thinking?_ Raven would never do something so tactless and stupid!

A chuckle from within the room made Robin's blood boil, and he clenched his fists to keep himself from barging in and ruining their conversation. Something told him that Raven would rather he didn't know about this little incident.

"Little Raven, you didn't read very carefully, did you?" chortled Elder Gutknecht.

Raven's voice exuded sarcasm, "Not really, no. It was hard for me to get past the part about the _human sacrifice_."

"This spell," the Elder explained, "was designed for people like you; corpses who were taken from the land of the living by someone else's hands. This human sacrifice is not just of _any_ human...

"Your murderer needs to take your place."

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Raven's eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped open. She stepped in front of the spell book once more, running her finger down the page as she read.

_A sprig of Baby's Breath_

_Two liquid ounces of Hyacinth Nectar_

_One human heart, no longer than ten minutes out of the body._

_ *Note: The heart you retrieve _must_ belong to the murderer of the spell caster. If it is not, then the caster and the owner of the heart will be sent to despair in limbo for all eternity._

"So this is saying..." Raven trailed off.

"If you want to return to the land of the living as a resident, you must first remove the heart from your killer." Elder Gutknecht supplied, setting a marker on the page and closing the giant book. "That is the only way."

Raven reluctantly nodded her head before walking swiftly to the door. She paused before closing it however, and peeked inside the room.

"Thank you for your help, Elder Gutknecht."

His smile was soft when he replied, "Anything for you, dear Raven. Please, consider all options when planning your course of action. This is one decision that should not be made lightly."

Raven bowed her head respectfully and shut the door, shrouding herself in darkness.

"So Robin, what do _you_ think I should do?"

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Oh damn.

"Raven!" The Boy Wonder whirled around to see Raven's face, and it did not look happy. "How did you know I was here?"

A single dark brow lifted, and her voice was exceedingly dry.

"Gee, Robin. I wonder."

He stared blankly at her sarcastic visage, still quite surprised at his discovery. Only when she lightly tapped a forefinger to her temple with a huff did he realize;

She was an empath.

And he was an idiot.

"Oh... right..."

Raven heaved an irritated sigh at stalked down the stairs, forcing Robin to avoid stepping on the train of her dress. He followed suit, and the two made their way to the floor below.

About halfway down, Raven turned her gaze to his masked eyes. "You still haven't answered my question." His confusion was obvious, so she cut him some slack, "What do you think I should do?"

His eyes widened behind photo-optic lenses, and he questioned softly, "Rae, are you sure that you want my opinion? I mean, this is your decision, and if I give you advice... I'm not exactly sure that you'll like what I have to say."

His answer seemed to intrigue her and she stopped moving completely as he descended the last three stairs. "Why not, Robin?"

He closed his eyes and sighed, "Raven, I know that this seems kind of... vindictive. And I'm fully aware of the fact that just saying this makes me the single most selfish man in the world, but..." He turned around and grasped her hands, his grip soft and gentle. "I don't want to loose you again."

She tried to pull her hands out of his grasp, but he held firm, not allowing her the satisfaction of escape. At the failed attempt, she looked incredulously down her nose at him. "So you'd rather I take a human _life?_ Robin, that's unlike you."

The teenage boy in question felt his jaw clench, and determination colored his words.

"Quite frankly, after murdering you, he deserves it."

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! FINALLY DONE WRITING THIS CHAPTER! Only two or three more to go, folks! Sorry again about the long-awaited update, but hey. I've got a life. A life that involves a very hungry stomach that I wish I could feed right now, but can't. Due to the unhealthy amount of NOTHING in this house. Maybe we have some trail mix...

-Magic


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